What Is an EP? A Brief History and Why It Matters for New Artists
The writer reflects on the recent wave of young Cameroonian musicians releasing EPs—compact musical projects of 3–7 tracks—and explains the format's origins in vinyl technology and its modern role as a low-barrier route to discovery. Using examples like Kehlani and Koffee, the piece argues that EPs are a vital proving ground for independent artists.
A lot of you must have been hearing about artists "dropping" their EPs lately. About two weeks ago, my good friend Tino asked, on his wall, how many artistes released albums or EPs in 2019 and there was a flurry of responses.
I was happy to see the number of musicians who had put out some body of work- mostly EPs. A good number of them are barely known by the mass market, but they do have something to show to back up their claim as artists. That's really encouraging
I am of the school of thought that in music, you don't necessarily have to have had some level of popularity or fanbase to put out a musical project. And it is good to see how many young musicians are on the same wavelength.
To add to that, I think an EP is a great way to be discovered. Most EPs take an unconventional approach to music-making and artistry. A musician can take a lot of liberties on the EP and can experiment and collaborate with other people just to see how far he or she can push their artistic boundaries.
Recently, a lot of young musicians have been discovered via their EPs which they have put out for free on streaming services. Kehlani is one very good example. She built a solid following for herself and had a hardcore group of fans who have stuck with her now that she has gone independent. She put out three mixtapes before her first album - not EPs. But I'm sure you get my point.
For many independent artists, this is a great route to take. The competition is tough, as there is a lot of content out there now than before, but if you strike the right chord with an audience that relates to your music, you can get yourself a solid following of fans that will really support you when you will need them to.
However, I have noticed that many consumers of music do not know what an EP is, and neither, as opposed to what an LP is.
EP is short for "Extended Play." An Extended Play was a "type" of vinyl record. To put it simply; vinyl records go as far back as the late 1800s. At the time, a record could play only one song per side (4 mins).
With advances in technology, towards the mid-1900s, these records became extended in the number of songs they could accommodate per side of each vinyl disc. They became known as Extended Play; as they could go up to 8 mins per side.
The Long Play disc (LP) was introduced by Columbia Records in 1948 and each side of the vinyl disc could play up to 23 mins. The LP discs were used right up to the late 80s after which they were phased out by cassettes and compact discs. Now, we have MP3 players and streaming services.
Today, EP is used to denominate what one could call a "short album," while an LP is the name given to a full album.
So what's the difference between an EP and LP, in 2020?
Well, now it is universally accepted now that an EP is a body of musical work that comprises between 3 to 7 tracks, and with a combined playing time of between 25 to 30 minutes maximum.
Anything with 7+ tracks that is over 30 minutes is considered an album.
It is worthy to note that music awards organisations have their own criteria for what they consider to be an album. The Grammys, for example, consider that any record with five or more songs and a running time of over 15 minutes is an album.
That is why in 2019, Koffee won the Grammy for best 'Reggae Album' even though the record had 5 songs and is 15mins and 30 seconds long - thus, in actual fact, an EP.
Now that you have understood what an EP is, click the link below to listen to Fhish's EP. I particularly like the song 'Njoh' featuring Longue Longue and 'Patience'
https://audiomack.com/album/urban-mutumbu/fhish-ep1
Y'all have a good day
- Wandji Wilfred.
In 2019–2020, the Cameroonian music scene saw a surge of independent releases, many shared freely on digital platforms. The writer frames this moment as encouraging evidence that aspiring musicians no longer need established fanbase or gatekeeping approval to create and distribute work—a significant cultural shift enabled by streaming services and social media.
Then, it was a timely affirmation of a democratizing media landscape and proof that serious artistry could flourish outside traditional industry structures. Now, it reads as an early documentation of how the global shift to independent release strategies took root in Cameroon, and a reminder that the infrastructure for artistic risk-taking and experimentation was already in place years before the pandemic further accelerated digital distribution.